# Stack Exchange Scraper (`bgfc97/stack-exchange-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Stack Overflow and the whole Stack Exchange network — questions with score, views, answer count, accepted status, tags, author, reputation, dates, and body — by query or tag via the official API. No key required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/bgfc97/stack-exchange-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Bruno](https://apify.com/bgfc97) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.75 / 1,000 question scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Stack Exchange Scraper 💬

Search **Stack Overflow** and the entire **Stack Exchange** network — get questions with score, views, answer count, accepted status, tags, author, reputation, dates, and body — by query or tag.

Great for developer trend research, technical content mining, support-topic analysis, tag monitoring, and feeding AI/dev tools.

### What it does

- **Search** by free text (advanced search) or by **tags**.
- Works across any SE site (`stackoverflow`, `superuser`, `serverfault`, `askubuntu`, `math`, …).
- Sort by votes, activity, newest, or relevance; auto-paginates.

### Input

```json
{
  "queries": ["async await"],
  "tags": ["python", "pandas"],
  "site": "stackoverflow",
  "sort": "votes",
  "includeBody": true,
  "maxItemsPerQuery": 100
}
```

Optional `apiKey` (Stack Apps) raises the daily quota to 10,000; otherwise proxy rotation spreads the free per-IP quota.

### Output (one row per question)

```json
{
  "type": "question",
  "site": "stackoverflow",
  "question_id": 419163,
  "title": "What does the yield keyword do?",
  "link": "https://stackoverflow.com/questions/419163/...",
  "score": 12500,
  "view_count": 3100000,
  "answer_count": 45,
  "is_answered": true,
  "tags": ["python", "generator"],
  "author": "Alex",
  "created_at": "2009-01-06T..."
}
```

### Notes

- Uses the official, documented Stack Exchange API.
- Free tier is 300 requests/day per IP — proxy rotation or a Stack Apps key extends it.

# Actor input Schema

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Free-text questions/keywords to search.

## `tags` (type: `array`):

Restrict to questions with these tags, e.g. python, pandas.

## `site` (type: `string`):

Stack Exchange site (stackoverflow, superuser, serverfault, askubuntu, math, unix, dba...).

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Sort order.

## `order` (type: `string`):

Ascending or descending.

## `includeBody` (type: `boolean`):

Include the question text (plain). Turn off for lighter output.

## `maxItemsPerQuery` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many questions per query/tag set.

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Optional Stack Apps key to raise the daily quota to 10,000. Leave empty to run unauthenticated (proxy rotates IPs).

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel requests.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify proxy rotates IPs to extend the unauthenticated quota. The account running the Actor pays for proxy usage.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "async await"
  ],
  "tags": [],
  "site": "stackoverflow",
  "sort": "votes",
  "order": "desc",
  "includeBody": true,
  "maxItemsPerQuery": 100,
  "maxConcurrency": 3,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "queries": [
        "async await"
    ],
    "tags": [],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("bgfc97/stack-exchange-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "queries": ["async await"],
    "tags": [],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("bgfc97/stack-exchange-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "queries": [
    "async await"
  ],
  "tags": [],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call bgfc97/stack-exchange-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=bgfc97/stack-exchange-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/U352BMJhmVS9xZcn7/builds/hV16ejMRnC58iQkfe/openapi.json